264 ARNOTT ON SOUTH AFRICAN PLANTS. 



omitted by Mr Harvey in his genera of South African plants, 

 and by Sprengel in liis genera. It was founded on a plant 

 of Burmann's, and appears to me from the short original de- 

 scription given of it, and the remark that it is similar to 

 Grubbia, to be precisely that genus. Both are said to have 

 a 2-valved, 3-flowered involucre, and 4 petals; but Ophiria 

 is said to have a superior corolla, Grubbia an inferior one. 

 Now whether the segments of the perianth be so called, or 

 are petals, they are nevertheless superior; and therefore the 

 character of Ophiria agrees better with specimens of Grubbia 

 than that by which the latter was described. The original 

 Ophiria stricta, L., may indeed be considered as identical with 

 Grubbia rosmarinifolia, Bevg* Lamark, however, in his " Il- 

 lustrations de Genres," t. 298, has figured a very different plant 

 under the name of Ophiria, while the description given in 

 the Encycl. Methodique (except the portion relating to the 

 leaves and fruit,) is derived from the previously published 

 character. The Ophiria of Lamark, or that figured by him, is 

 by the French botanists denominated Ophiria, although they 

 do not seem to be aware that it is not the original one; as 

 however the latter must be united with Grubbia, there can be 

 no difficulty in retaining Ophiria for Lamark's plant. Ophiria 

 stricta of Drege's collections is that of Lamark. Endlicher 

 in his genera, has very correctly united the Linnean Ophiria 

 to Grubbia, but has unfortunately cited also Lamark's figure, 

 and in addition given such a character to the genus, taken 

 pardy from the one, partly from the other, as applies to 

 neither. Klotzsch in the Linncea, XIIL p. 379 has given a 

 new generic character to Grubbia, and described a new genus 

 Strobilocarpus without being aware that this last was the 

 Ophiria stricta of Lamark, with which however his only 

 species, S. diversifolius, is identical. 



* To this belongs G. rosmarinifolia of Drege's last distribution, and 

 also, as appears to me, his No. 8161 : the G. hirsuta E.M. seems to be 

 distinguished by being much more hairy, indeed almost villous, and the 

 branchleta which bear thq leaves being very short, so that the leaves seem 

 nearly to be fascicled. 



